County may raise gas tax
Brevard County is considering raising its gas tax to address a funding shortfall for transportation improvements. Brevard County Commissioners are discussing a potential increase between 1 and 5 cents per gallon to generate additional revenue. More than half of Florida’s 67 counties already charge 12 cents per gallon in gas tax. However, Brevard is one of 11 counties still charging only 6 cents per gallon, at least for now.
Feds reimbursed $10 million for Hope Florida Payment
Florida has reimbursed the Federal government the $10 million that the DeSantis administration routed through the Hope Florida Foundation to defeat the recreational pot amendment. That transaction is still under investigation by the state attorney for Leon County.
Florida freezing affects agriculture
With an estimated $3.1 billion loss to Floridas agricultural industry, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson described the recent freeze events as “one of the most damaging” in Florida agricultural history. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
With many agricultural producers at the peak of their growing and planting periods, the freeze hit regions critical to Florida’s production of vegetables and melons, citrus, sugarcane, fruit, horticulture, and aquaculture. Many growers were unable to harvest crops in time due to produce not yet ready for harvesting, windy conditions, and limited resources such as storage capacity and available labor. An estimated 80 percent of Florida’s citrus acreage was significantly impacted. The freeze also wiped out about 80 percent of the remaining strawberry harvest and 90 percent of the remaining blueberry crop.
The effects are expected to extend into future growing seasons. The industry will face a multi-year average productivity loss of 27 percent before returning to pre-storm production levels.
Daytona Wildfires
A bush fire in Daytona broke out on Monday, growing to 160 acres and leading to a temporary evacuation of 80 homes. It began early Monday morning by Champion Elementary School and continued to spread through the Mosaic subdivision. A second wildfire was also reported on Monday near the intersection of LPGA and Williamson boulevard. The Daytona Beach Fire Department is currently working to contain the wildfires, and warn residents to be prepared for evacuation again, as future evacuations are possible.
Proposed state budgets zero out Florida Forever
Ten years ago Florida residents passed a constitutional amendment requiring the state to set aside $10 billion to purchase environmentally sensitive land. About $300 million a year had been invested in the Florida Forever program. This year, the Florida House proposes to zero out the program entirely, while the Senate would give $35 million, and not to acquire land but to buy easements on private agricultural lands.
Tourist count up slightly
The number of tourists that visited Florida last year ticked up slightly, to over 143 million. But international travelers continue to shun the US. American tourists made up 91% of the visits. State officials noted that most of the growth came from domestic travelers taking advantage of strong demand for beach and theme park vacations.